All additional installations introduced to the operating system will have to be authorized by Microsoft

Dec 16, 2006 09:21 GMT  ·  By

Don't you feel that you have a tad to much freedom with your Windows operating system? Microsoft does. So what if you paid for a full license? It is still a Microsoft product, and Microsoft should control what you do with your/their operating system.

Sounds like paranoia? Well, it will become reality together with the modular Windows operating system. With this, Microsoft will deliver a core functionality module, or a basic kernel and fee or subscription based add-on modules that will built a complete operating system adding functionality, capabilities, features and support for hardware, peripherals, communication and applications/bundles.

Here is Microsoft's take on Digital Rights Management: "a digital signature may be used to confirm the integrity of an add-on module prior to installation. Certification may be verified to determine if installation of the add-on module is authorized. By withholding certification, a service provider may manage illegal or undesired modifications to a provided computer. Digital rights management may be used to enforce terms of use of the add-on module in keeping with licensing arrangements."

All the additional features, capabilities, support, applications and hardware will be handled via DRM through a "cryptographic service comprising at least one of digital signature support or digital rights management support."

Microsoft adds: "digital rights management may be used to manage add-on modules. As opposed to the prior art, where the operating system is available in perpetuity, add-on modules may be available for limited periods of time, based on the license terms. It may also be possible to allow only certified or authorized add-on modules to be installed, enabling digital rights management to allow selective purchase by users, fraud control for providers and also to restrict unauthorized operating system extensions from being installed that may support unauthorized hardware and/or software."

This means that you will no longer be able to install modular Windows modules, hardware and software that are not AUTORIZED by MICROSOFT!!!